This invention relates to an image recording and reproducing device for recording dynamic picture image information such as one of a video camera or a television onto an image recording storage such as a semiconductor memory and displaying it in multi-picture display and relates also to a medium storing an image recording and reproducing program.
With a rapidly-increasing storage capacity achieved by fine pattern technology for semiconductor memory as well as advancing image compression technology, image recording and reproducing devices have been widely used today which temporarily store image data from a video camera or the like into a semiconductor memory and then reproduce the thus-stored image data from selected locations of the memory at an optional speed. These image recording and reproducing devices are suitable for use in, for example, editing of a TV commercial production and analysis of a form in playing a sport, because of their capability to record a dynamic picture for a period of tens of seconds.
In analys is of a form in playing a sport, it is desirable that, by using a multi-picture display technique on the screen, various pictures of forms taken from different angles should be simultaneously viewed or that a form of a professional person should be compared with one""s own form from the same angle. Known in the art of image processing devices having such multi-picture display function are a device which inputs image signals from a plurality of video cameras or video reproducing devices simultaneously and displays these image signals in multi-picture display and also a device which extracts several points of a series of actions taken by a single video camera as still pictures and displays these still pictures in multi-picture display.
Since, however, in the former of the prior art image processing devices having the multi-picture display function, image signals which are input simultaneously from a plurality of video cameras or video reproducing devices are displayed in multi-picture display, a plurality of video cameras or video reproducing devices are required with the result that the device in its entirety becomes costly. Moreover it is difficult to synchronize the pictures of plural video sources with one another when these pictures of plural video sources are respectively independent pictures. In the latter of the prior art image processing devices, still pictures at different reproducing points in a series of actions are displayed in multi-picture display. Therefore it is not possible in this device to reproduce separately recorded image signals in the form of a dynamic picture by matching reproducing points of the respective still pictures.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved image recording and reproducing device which permits simultaneous reproduction of separately recorded dynamic pictures by matching their reproducing timing.
According to the invention, there is provided an image recording and reproducing device comprising: an image storage section which has a plurality of storage areas and stores dynamic picture image information; a recording section which records a plurality of dynamic picture image information separately in the storage areas of said image storage section; a reproducing section which disposes the plurality of dynamic picture image information recorded by said recording section in different display areas and reproduces them simultaneously; and a reproduction point designation section which timewise matches particular reproduction points of the respective dynamic picture image information with respect to all of the dynamic picture image information.
According to the invention, a plurality of dynamic picture image information can be separately stored in the plurality of storage areas of the image storage section, the plurality of recorded dynamic picture image information can be disposed in different display areas on the same screen and can be reproduced simultaneously, and reproduction points of the respective dynamic picture image information can be timewise matched by the reproduction point designation section with respect to all of the dynamic picture image information. Accordingly. for example, pictures of a baseball pitching form taken from different angles or a picture of golf swing by a professional player and a picture of one""s own golf swing taken from the same angle can be displayed side by side on the same screen and can be compared with each other by simultaneously reproducing these pictures with a sinchronized timing. Besides, according to the invention, since a plurality of dynamic picture image information which are reproduced simultaneously can be separately recorded in different storage areas of the image storage section, pictures of a form in a sport can be taken in several divided times with a single video camera and it is unnecessary to provide plural video cameras or video reproducing devices.
As for the reproduction point designation section, one which designates at least one of a reproduction start address, a reproduction end address and a desired reproduction point address of the respective dynamic picture image information can be used.
By addressing the reproduction start address of the respective dynamic picture image information. the comparison of the plurality of dynamic picture image information can be focused on the start point of the action. By addressing the reproduction end address, the comparison can be focused on the end point of the action. By addressing the desired reproduction point address, the comparison can be focused on a middle point of the action, e.g., the instant of impact.
As the reproducing section may be used one which simultaneously starts reproduction of the plurality of dynamic picture image information from the reproduction start address of the respective dynamic picture image information designated by the reproduction point designation section and, when there is difference in time length of reproduction between the respective dynamic picture image information, reproduces the dynamic picture image information whose reproduction has been completed as a still picture until reproduction of the dynamic picture image information which has the longest reproduction time is completed. As the reproducing section may also be used one which reproducing section simultaneously starts reproduction of the plurality of dynamic picture image information from the reproduction start address of the respective dynamic picture image information designated by the reproduction point designation section and, when there is difference in time length of reproduction between the respective dynamic picture image information, ends reproduction of all of the dynamic picture image information at a timing when reproduction of the dynamic picture image information which has the shortest reproduction time is completed.
By reproducing, when there is difference in time length of reproduction between the respective dynamic picture image information, the dynamic picture image information whose reproduction has been completed as still picture until reproduction of the dynamic picture image information which has the longest reproduction time is completed, the dynamic picture image information to be reproduced can be reproduced without omission. By ending reproduction of all of the dynamic picture image information at a timing when reproduction of the dynamic picture image information which has the shortest reproduction time is completed, reproduction of the dynamic picture image information which has a longer reproduction time is ended before its reproduction end address arrives but, since both dynamic picture image information are reproduced at the same speed, difference in speed of the actions to be compared can be made clear.
The reproducing section may be one which determines the reproduction start address and the reproduction end address in such a manner that a reproduction timing of the desired reproduction point address designated by the reproduction point designation section coincides among the respective dynamic picture image information.
By this arrangement, a simultaneous reproduction can be realized so that all pictures coincide with one another at a specific instance, e.g., a hitting point in a baseball batting form.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided an image recording and reproducing device comprising: an image storage section which has a plurality of storage areas and stores dynamic picture image information; a recording section which records a plurality of dynamic picture image information separately in the storage areas of said image storage section; a reproducing section which disposes the plurality of dynamic picture image information recorded by said recording section in different display areas on the same screen and reproduces them simultaneously: and a reproduction point operation section which manually designates reproduction points of the dynamic picture image information reproduced by the reproducing section one by one with respect to the respective dynamic picture image information, or simultaneously with respect to all of the dynamic picture image information.
According to this aspect of the invention, reproduction points of the reproduced dynamic picture image information can be manually designated by the reproduction point operation section either one by one with respect to the respective dynamic picture image information or simultaneously with respect to all of the dynamic picture image information. Accordingly, by manually designating a reproduction point to be matched one by one with respect to the respective dynamic picture image information by the reproduction point operation section and, upon designating all reproduction points, moving the reproduction points of all of the dynamic picture image information simultaneously by a manual operation, plural dynamic picture image information can be reproduced simultaneously at a desired reproduction speed (including reproduction in reverse direction) designated by a manual operation so that a reproduction point which one particularly desires to see can be viewed at a slow speed.
In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a medium storing an image recording and reproducing program comprising: a recording processing for recording a plurality of dynamic picture image information separately in a plurality of storage areas of an image storage section which stores the dynamic picture image information: a reproducing processing for disposing the plurality of dynamic picture image information recorded by the recording section in different display areas on the same screen and reproduces them simultaneously; and a reproduction point designation processing for timewise matching particular reproduction points of the respective dynamic picture image information with respect to all of the dynamic picture image information.
The reproduction point designation processing may display, on the same screen as the one for the respective dynamic picture image information, an operation window for designation at least one of a reproduction start address, a reproduction end address and a desired reproduction point address of the respective dynamic picture image information and match the reproduction points of the respective dynamic picture image information on the basis of event information supplied from the operation window.
According to this program, an effect which is substantially the same as the first described aspect of the invention can be achieved by a computer software, so that no hardware image recording and reproducing device is required.